Fiber board



- a number of the past, therefore,

'UNlTED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. PEABODY. OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

No Drawing.

T 0 all'wlzom it may concern: v

Be it known thatI, JAMES C. PEABonY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, countyof Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fiber Board, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings. j

My invention has for its object a new and improved composition which isadapted for uses in the arts in which fiber board as heretofore producedis capable of being employed, as well. as for a variety of uses forwhich leather is used but for which fiber has been incapable of use. Amaterial which is a substitute for hard fiber is also.

included'within my invention. My invention also includes the novelprocess of making the hereindescribed material. In the past so far asknown to me, fiber board havin rigid, the composition of the fiber boardbeing such that the quality of stiffness is a necessary adjunct totensile strength. In

case for example inboots and shoes where a flexible and pliable materialwhich will readily yield with the shoe is necessary. The fiber boardmade in accordance with my herein described invention has all the characteristics of leather, being soft and yet tough and pliable, andinaddition is not disintegrated by water'which renders it particularlyuseful in the manufacture. of bootsand shoes.

The material isfurthermore adapted to be moulded to any desired shape,and when so moulded, although flexible and pliable,

softened by vapor or water during the process of manufacture so that itmay be moulded or shaped as desired, it is not injured by moisture whenthe herein described process is completed. .While Ihave referredSpecification of l'aetters Patent. Patented Application filed October24,1917- Serial No. 198319.

high tensile strength has been stiff or".

fiberboard has not been; adapted for uses in which the quality offlexibility or pliability is essential, as is the-- FI ER BOARD.

to my material as particularly adapted for use 1n the manufacture ofboots and shoes it will be understood that I do not limit myself to thatuse alone, but claim it broadlv for any use to which it may be put. u

My invention will be fully understood from the following description andthe novel features thereof will be'pointed out and clearly defined inthe claims at the close of this specification.

In, the manufacture of material embodying my nvention, I take a batch offiber of any ordinary nature such as a mixture of chiefly old twine,rope, flax, wood pulp, leather-board scrap (except that containinganimal fiber) or the like and make up a furnish of fiber by placing itin the usual beater together with a quantity of water in proportlonspreferably of one part of fiber to twenty parts of water. The fiber ismanipulatedinthebeater as is usual in the manufacture of paper or fiberboard. The process heretofore described is substantially that employedin p aper making and it will be understood that other ingredients ofvaria tions in material may be employed asis well known to paper makers.I then add a quan-.

tity of cellulose 'in a liquid state. The amount may be varied accordingto the character of the finished product to be produced. Any 'of thewell known celluloses may be used such as those made from cotton or woodpulp,-produced either by the acid or alkali processes. The amount ofcellulose used varies anywhere from three to fifteen per cent of theweight of the fiber used and depends upon the character of the finished,product and somewhat uponthe character of the materials used. I findthat I can regulate the pliability of the finished product by adding agreater or less amountof cellulose. IVhere a stiff product is desired asfor ex. ample for use as a hard fiber, the amount of cellulose, employedis greater than where a more flexible and pliable product is de sired.The cellulose is thenthoroughly manipulated with the furnish of fiberuntil the fiber becomes thoroughly saturated and impregnated by it. Whentreated in this manner, thecellulose forms a binding material for thefiber andgives the product a body and strength which can be obtained inno other way so far as known to me. The material produced by the processso far escribed may be moistened or otherwise Foam, 1922.

tempered and Worked to any desired shape and when dry is relativelyrigid and retains the shape given to it.

Dry sheets of my novel material produced as described above, are thentreated in the following manner in order that they may be renderedflexible and yielding and at the same time retain their tensile strengthand water resisting qualities to adapt them among other things to beused in themanufacture of boots and shoes or other articles heretoforemade of leather or the like. I prepare a solution of deliquescent saltssuch as calcium chloride, salt, or calcium chloride and salt, and soakthe dry sheets'of fiber in the solution until thoroughly saturated withit. The fiber sheets are then removed from the solution and dried outcompletely. I have found that the complete saturation of the fiber boardcomposition by the deliquescent salt solution described above does notdetract from the tensile strength, toughness or water resistant qualityof the material, but renders it hygroscopic so that it becomes flexibleand pliable and has all of the physical characteristics of leather inthis regard.

What I claim is:

1. The hereindescribed material composed of fiber impregnated withregenerated cellulose, the whole being rendered hygroscopic by thepresence of a deliquescent salt.

2. The hereindescribed material composed of fiber and a regeneratedcellulose which was once liquid, said material containing a deliquescentsalt to render it hygroscopic.

3. The improved process of making the hereindescribed material whichconsists in thoroughly mixing a batch of fiber with water and thereafteradding liquid cellulose to the said batch of fiber while suspended inater, manipulating the whole until the cellulose is uniformlydistributed, then extracting the water, then treating the material witha solutionof a deliquescent salt and allowing the material to dry.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature.

JAMES- (J. PEABODY.

